Unit load

A unit load is cargo consolidated into one standardized handling unit, a container, pallet, or pre-slung bundle, so it moves as a single piece through the transport chain. Unitization cut the handling that once defined breakbulk: a forklift or crane lifts the whole unit instead of stevedores moving each carton, which slashed port time and pilferage. The shipping container is the dominant unit load, sized to the 20-foot and 40-foot ISO standards that fixed cell guides, chassis, and crane spreaders. Pallets and bundles serve trades and cargoes that do not justify a full container.